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Jessica Chastain used the Venice Film Festival as a platform to encourage her fellow actors to support independent cinema. During the press conference for Michel Franco's Memory, Chastain sported a black “SAG-AFTRA on Strike” T-shirt. The actress also admitted to feeling “nervous” about her presence, revealing that some members of her team had advised against attending.
Chastain explained her feelings, saying that actors are often pressured into silence to safeguard their future job prospects.
“And that is the environment that I think has allowed work to be abused, to go unchecked for many decades. And is also the environment that has saddled members of our union with unfair contracts.”
Memory secured an interim agreement with SAG-AFTRA. Hence, why she can promote her films alongside co-stars. But more than promoting Memory, Jessica Chastain stressed that SAG-AFTRA explicitly urged actors to show solidarity with the ongoing strike.
“I am here because SAG-AFTRA has been explicitly clear that the way to support the strike is to post on social media, walk the picket line and to work and support interim agreement projects,”
More than that, the actress expressed her hope that her presence at the festival would inspire both independent producers and actors to follow suit.
Ultimately, she anticipates that these collective efforts will lead to a resolution of the strike. And a return to negotiations with AMPTP, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Michel Franco, who directed Memory also showed appreciation for Jessica Chastain both for her talent and courage to risk her career by joining SAG-AFTRA strikes.
